Living the Dream
by J-Dub -Silver Enigma
Summary: Sweet has arrived in the USA. It's time for the dream to become a reality. Teen Titans and Marvel references.
1. Island Bound

AN: How's it going, everyone? I hope you have read my first story, because this next one follows the closing events of it. I will be introducing another Beanie in this one.

**Just a few reminders:**

**1.) I'm still new to the writer's world here on FF. So if you have a few pointers for me, I'd be happy to take them. The same goes for questions that you may have. Ask away! :)**

**2.) **"**Humanimal" is still the codename for the Beanie Babies I have. Even though I'm just reminding you guys, don't get wired up with it. If you're new to hearing about them, keep the undermining comments to yourself please. Honestly, I don't care if I may be embarassing myself.**

**3.) My stories are quite subtle, but please, bear with me. It ****will**** get better with my future stories to come. There will be more characters, more stuff going on, trust me. I won't disappoint you guys.**

**All right then, here it is.**

[P.S. _The text in Italics are inner thoughts or flashbacks. The first part is a review of what happened before (__**Bold and Italic)**__._]

* * *

**~Living the Dream~**

Chapter 1 – Island Bound

_**[Preivously... our main protagonist, Sweet Summers (humanimal; orangutan), lived his natural life in the Amazon Basin with Early and Strut, his foster parents. But it was until one day, when the two left Sweet due to "errands". He didn't know it, but that was when Sweet's life started to change.**_

_**His normal day at school turned into a nightmare, as he and his rival, Lance, raced to what was called Doom Lagoon, where they ran into the ruthless Apes on their revolution. Lance was captured, but Sweet ended up unofficially banished from the now hostile Amazon. There was no turning back.**_

_**Being alone for the second time in his life, Sweet trekked all the way to Panama, physically and mentally exhausted. He managed to make it to the country's capital, but he lost consciousness and flew off of a cliff into the coastal waters below. Luckily, a local lifeguard, George, saw him falling, came to his rescue, and revived him. George later heard of everything that Sweet went through and what he wanted to do now. He took him to his friend, Andy, a jet pilot who agreed on flying him to Texas the next day. Sweet's eighth birthday appeared to be evident, and it was celebrated by George, Andy and his wife, Anna.**_

_**Later that night, Sweet heard the voices of his foster parents (via Strut's telepathy). They told him that he is strong enough to handle himself now, and that he holds hidden power that awaits his attention. After the message was given, Sweet discovered that he can control fire, shoot optical lasers (like Cyclops), and fight with sharp metal claws (Wolverine style). He now assumed that his foster parents were special.**_

**_After breakfast on the day of departure, Sweet flew with Andy in his jet for the United States after saying his goodbyes to Anna and George. While flying, Sweet showed the pilot his work of art that he calls his "dream home". They soon flew over the Tex-Mex border when suddenly, a giant robot attempted to attack them, causing them to abort and land near the border gates. After asking the patrol officers what it was, it came back for more, firing a missile after they moved away. It was a Sentinel, a terminator of those who are depicted as threats to the world. Sweet was its target. After a hard fall, Sweet realized his new responibility and fought back, destroying the Sentinel with his newfound powers. Andy couldn't stay, but Sweet earned a free ride to anywhere in Texas. The Great Hero begins his new life now.]_**

**_

* * *

_**

The officer escorted Sweet to his police cruiser after Andy left. They both entered the car, then the man pulled a map of Texas out of the side compartment. The cities were labeled on it.

"All right, kid," he grumbled, "where do you want to go? Take your time, if you need to..."

Sweet had looked at all of the places on the map, but he didn't know which one to pick. The place is completely new to him, so how could he know where to go exactly? He took a look back at his picture, then the answer was clear to him now. He had to go somewhere that was near the Gulf of Mexico. He picked the best place.

"I'll go with... –pointing- that one."

"Galveston?" asked the officer. "You want to be near the water, huh?"

"Yes sir." Sweet answered politely, thinking of his picture.

"All right then, Galveston it is. Strap on your seatbelt." The officer started the engine and began to drive off, moving north.

Halfway through the five-hour drive, the officer believed that he was a bit demanding before. He started a conversation.

"What was your name again... Sweet?" asked the officer.

"Yes," the red orangutan answered.

"Where did you come from?"

"The Amazon." That struck a little bit into the officer, seeing that a child had traveled that far mostly on his own.

"In South America? Man, you've come a long way."

"I know," replied Sweet, _"and I'm not finished yet._"

"When did you come across your powers? You throwing them fireballs, shooting that laser, and knocking the head off of the Sentinel threw me for a loop."

"I found out yesterday. _I hope I get to see Father Early and Mother Strut again._"

The officer was amazed at how fast he learned to use his powers. Then he recalled of a place he knew. "You know," the officer resumed, "I think you done picked the right place to go to. I hear that there's this academy over there in Galveston, for humanimals like you. They take in gifted and talented kids, but I have never seen a student there with your level of gifts and talents."

"They have a school like that?" Sweet asked with gaining interest.

"Yep. I'll tell you what... before we get settled down at Galveston, I'll stop by there and see if I can get you in."

Sweet smiled with joy. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Sure! If you hadn't shown up when you did back then, we would have been blown to bits."

"Thank you!" Sweet said happily.

Lady Luck is smiling upon Sweet. He has had four people, so far, help him in getting him where he needed to be. Now, he can hardly wait to get to Galveston, in hopes of ultimately establishing his new home.

~~~**~~~

Chapter 1 finished.

If you have any comments, tips, or questions, feel free to let me know.


	2. Settling In

Chapter 2 – Settling In

After another two hours on the road, the officer drove onto a bridge, leading to a long island surrounded by water.

"We're here, Sweet," spoke the officer.

"Where's the Academy?" asked Sweet.

"Behind the airport... don't worry, I'm heading there," he assured Sweet.

Soon, they passed the airport and drove down an open lane behind it. Sweet eventually saw a grand complex that would be easily mistaken as a college or even a business area. The Academy of Honors. One of the buildings stands fifteen stories tall; and the two of them were heading there. The went into the front office.

"Good afternoon," said the woman at the desk, "what can I do for you?" She happens to be the principal of the Academy.

"I want to enlist this young man into this school," replied the officer.

"Okay, what are his gifts and talents?"

"Hmm... don't look into this the wrong way, but, he has super-powers."

"Super-powers, you say? Well, we have a policy about who we accept into our system. The policy is the same at our facility here, the six sister facilities across the country, and the college station in northern Texas. We take human students that learn and do things on higher standards that normal ones do. We will also take humanimals because there is no other school that will welcome them easily."

"Well...?" added the officer.

"Super-powers are not allowed here."

"What?" exclaimed Sweet, shocked at this statement.

"It is a rule because we fear of running into someone who does not quite know how to control their power. And depending on how much lack of control there is, who knows what might happen to the Academy?

"But," uttered the officer, "you don't understand. This boy, Sweet, has relatively good control of his powers. He just found out about them yesterday and took out a Sentinel this morning!"

"Nevertheless," she replied instantly, "we cannot change the rule without some breakthrough—proof, per se."

After she said that, an explosion is heard outside. Coincidentally, the three of them looked out of the window to see that a Sentinel was the cause of it.

"You think you can take on another one?" the officer asked Sweet, who then raced outside to confront the machine.

Witnessing, the principal saw that Sweet got the job done by using his laser to split the Sentinel in two.

"Those Sentinels are going to keep coming for Sweet," said the officer to the principal, as Sweet re-entered the office, "but he'll be ready for them whenever they come. It would be much easier to have more people like him, but until then, he's all we've got. Besides, there is no other school to turn to."

"How about this?" she answered. "Powers are allowed only in emergencies such as what had occured a moment ago."

"Are you saying that...?" Sweet questioned.

"Yes. Welcome to the Academy. You will start on Monday (it was Friday)."

Sweet has it made now. He's in the place he's needs to be in, with a great school to go to. But when he heard that the Sentinels would keep marauding him, that's when he started to see the responisibility on his shoulders that his foster parents spoke of before. He did not know it fully, but he was destined to be a hero.

* * *

The officer booked a weekend stay at a hotel in Galveston. No one else could watch over Sweet, so he had to.

The next day, he took Sweet sightseeing around the city. The thing that really caught Sweet's eye, was the extensively long beaches. It is not that he wanted to play, lie down or learn to surf, he thought about somehow finding a way to build his dream home. That was his main goal at this point. Making an island in the Gulf was beyond his ability, so he'll have to settle for less. He took out his work of art again, and this time, the officer saw it.

"Hey, let me see that," he said. "This is impressive. When did you do this?"

"I started when I was six," replied Sweet. "It's finished now."

"What's it for?"

"It's my dream home. Building it is the main reason I wanted to be out near water."

"Well, I don't know if you can get your own island for this place, but maybe we can find some workers who are just dying to build something."

Strangely, the two drove by a group of about forty workers standing in front of an unfinished building. The officer parked his car and he and Sweet went to talk with them.

"Hey," started the officer, "aren't you guys supposed to be on the job?"

"Actually, no," answered one of the men. "We're watching over this building until another group gets back. But they haven't stopped by in over an hour... so now, we're really looking for a job."

Sweet could see it on their faces. Under their hardhats were sweaty faces, under the scorching heat of the sun. Others didn't care about the heat, but they wondered _"When are we going to do something?"_. That was when opportunity knocked.

"How good are you guys at what you do?" asked the officer.

"Only the best," immediately answered the head worker.

"The best, you say? All right, I want you to prove it. My little friend here has something for you."

"**He** does?" replied the head, with a testy smirk. Sweet gave him his work of art and that smirk turned into a dropped jaw. He had never seen anything like it... and along with that, he never thought that some kid would be able to draw something like it. Sweet told the workers about what he had fully planned on doing with his "dream".

"I'm not sure about him owning his own island paradise," began the head worker to the officer, "but, if we can send an owner's note to our company's officials and get this on blueprints with the scale of his choosing, we've got ourselves a deal." The head worker extended his hand to Sweet, as he then gratefully shook it.

"When and where can you guys start?" asked the officer.

"Hmm..." started the head worker, unsure of where to establish this project. Soon, he found just the place. "There is a bridge leading to an island north of here (Pelican Island). No one lives in the middle of the island, so we can move there and start our work tomorrow. And like I said before, we are the best group around. I'll bet that we will have this done by Sunday afternoon."

"We'll see to it then." The officer and Sweet left, looking forward to the beginning of a great dream come true.

* * *

The group of workers actually finished their work Sunday morning, without stopping. Why? The truth is, their company is linked with the national government. As it turns out, what Sweet had drawn of the tower contained the same replicas of structures pre-made inside and out by the government. Not only that, but they had just enough parts to build the tower itself. And everything inside was already in place. It was codenamed "Operation Titan". It was never used before until now, so the workers had the parts transported by air (it took A LOT of helicopter manuvering). The workers did the rest by piecing them together as shown by the blueprints, along with extra polishing and provisioning. Despite the heavy input and output into this project, it was done.

Later on in the evening, Sweet and the officer drove their way to the newly established tower. Sweet saw it from about five miles away, sitting near the tip of Galveston Island. No one could miss the T-shaped building in the distance. He couldn't wait to get there, as it looked just as he drew it. After ten minutes, they arrived. The head worker welcomed them.

"Gentlemen," he began, "welcome to Titans Tower."

The officer was extremely amazed. "How did you guys do THIS so fast?" he asked. The head worker then revealed who they really were. Again, Sweet's stroke of luck when it comes to meeting the right people is astounding.

"What's on the inside?" asked the officer.

"Your tour guide, Frank, will show you," said the head worker. "He is right there at the front entrance of the Tower. I will come with you." He escorted the officer and Sweet to Frank, who then led the three of them inside the Tower.

* * *

"Welcome again, to Titans Tower," Frank said. "Who is Sweet?" The red orangutan raised his hand. "This is all yours."

"ALL of it is his?" asked the officer, a little concerned. "I have to leave soon, back to Brownsville for border management. How will he manage himself here?"

"Anything he could ever need is already provided for him here," replied Frank. "You name it. Anything!"

The officer would believe the man for now. He found it hard to believe that one place could have everything one person needs. Frank then began the tour.

The four men stood in the Main Hall, which looked something like a hall of fame. There stood pedestals and arches in the walls, as a museum would look. Frank said that if Sweet won any awards or anything in particular, he could display them there. In the middle of the Hall, there was a door on the left, and another on the right. Frank took the group through the left door, leading to a downward stairway to the basement. As high-tech as the Tower looks on the outside, it had to look just as good on the inside, and that included the basement. It would be easily mistaken as a laboratory, as there was no wood in sight. But there was one thing that stood out. Frank led the group to a secret door behind one of the cabinets. The oversized garage.

"Here is where you build what you want to build," said Frank. "You're not old enough to do these things yet, but hey, who's stopping you? This is your place. And trust me, this is only the beginning."

"Only the beginning...?" Sweet was speechless. He has only seen the first and base sections of the Tower, and he already is amazed. The Tower-his Tower-is far more than he had imagined.

"Yes, the beginning. Once you're a bit older, you can ride these babies." Frank turned on a monitor that showed three forms of transportation. One was a white car, plated with bright blue high-tech parts-the T-Car. The second was an orange watercraft design with five cockpits-the T-Sub. And last but not least, a black travel jet that seats about twenty people...

"Gentlemen, BEHOLD!" stated Frank, "I give you the B-Jet!"

"Wait a minute," uttered the officer, "the **B-**Jet? Why isn't it the T-Jet?"

"Did you not notice the section in the middle of the Tower?" asked Frank, as he spoke of the flat "B" in the center of the Tower. It made the Tower look like two "F's" joined together.

"What about it?"

"It holds the suites. If Sweet ever has anyone else here, there are rooms for them there." He then spoke to Sweet. "And Sweet, it's completely up to you when it comes to who you want here." Sweet understood.

Frank led the group back to the Main Hall and through the right door this time, leading directly to the theater. It seats over a hundred people, but the best part is that the big screen is mobile. By the flip of a switch (on the wall), the screen elevates to the ceiling and unveils a stage. The officer started to question about how all of this, so far, can be possible.

Continuing on with the tour, Frank led the group to the back of the Main Hall, to the over-sized elevator. There were stairs going up on the left and right, but who wants to take stairs? The four of them went on to the second of the six sections of the Tower. Basically, this section is the recreational center, or the Zone. Gyms of all kinds, indoor pools, a game room, the works. Pretty self-explandatory. Moving on, the third section was the flat "B" of the Tower-the Suites. All of the rooms look as if they were taken from five-star hotels and put together side by side. Each one has a big bedroom, a full-sized bathroom and a living room. The only things that can be different in the rooms are the wall designs, the floors, or the room lighting.

Frank gave the guests a little warning before heading to the fourth section.

"All right," he began, "this next section has a mother-load of high-tech things in it. Don't touch anything, because even I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just showing you guys around." He then lead the group into the elevator, for the fourth section-the Facility. There was a room with lots of monitors and a centerpiece that displayed a hologram above it, showing the world-the Mission Room. After a ways down a few hallways, Frank stopped at another room.

"This..." he says, directing the men to a room with a gigantic computer of many components and a glass chamber pod to the back of the it, "is what I call the Super-Computer Room. The CIA say that it has its own defense mechanism, and that it connects every bit of data in the Tower. I have no idea how to operate it, but I don't want to mess anything up. So until someone is smart enough to handle this thing, no one touches it." Everyone took heed to that. They didn't want to see the whole Tower collapse.

The fifth and final section of the Tower (top of the "T") has the one room that everyone is familiar with... the living room; this one was the daddy of them all, though. Three big couches, a kitchen/bar in the back and the thirty-foot plasma screen TV. The officer stopped being curious because asking questions about the place was pointless now.

"That's a huge TV!" exclaimed Sweet.

"That's not the best part," said Frank, as he turned the TV on and then pressed the "smart" button on the remote, causing the screen to float toward the group and shrink its own size to a normal screen.

"No way..." Sweet said, awestruck.

"Wait for it..." said Frank. The screen then multiplied into four separate ones and then reformed itself into its original place. Frank turned the TV off afterwards. "We're almost done here, so you can go look around this section or go to the roof through that other elevator."

Sweet went to the kitchen first to see what was there. He opened the refrigerator and saw nothing. Cool air was flowing, though. _"Where's the food?"_ he wondered. Luckily, he looked over and found a note that said "Speak what you desire." Sweet thought about it, then opened the refrigerator again.

"Um... grilled chicken?" he guessed. Within a few seconds, a light shined from the top of the fridge and then instantly, warm and steamy grilled chicken appeared. Sweet took it out and thought, _"Unreal..."_

Sweet sat down on the couch after finishing his meal. The officer came out of the second elevator from the roof. It had a multi-purpose court, for tennis, basketball and volleyball. After a moment, the group went back to the front entrance.

"Sweet," said the officer, "I have to be getting back to my border duties. I see no flaws here. Handle yourself now."

"All right," Sweet answered. "And thanks for watching over me." The officer saluted to him, got in his car, and drove off. Frank then asked about the "border duties", and Sweet told him the story. Frank made sure to tell the CIA about his journey.

"Well then, Sweet, Titans Tower belongs to you now," he told him, "and so does this check. It's yours to cash in." It was for ten million dollars. Sweet thought he had to pay the money.

"Um, before you guys leave, can someone help me out with this money?" he asked. He didn't need the money all at once.

* * *

Soon, Frank took Sweet inside the city. He had heard about the school he was about to begin attending tomorrow. So he decided to stay in Galveston for a day and provide him with what he needed. He bought Sweet some more clothes, a backpack, writing utensils, paper, and some more of the basic stuff. After getting what he needed, they went to a bank. Inside, they waited in line for one of the clerks.

"Good afternoon," she said, "what can I do for you?"

"My buddy here," said Frank, "would like to cash and deposit a check and keep some of the money." Sweet gave her the check, and then her eyes had widened by the sight of how much was on it. It was too much for an child to be handling.

"Don't be surprised," assured Frank, "this kid is really on top of his game."

"How much is he planning on keeping?"

"Ten thousand dollars would be good." The transaction was made, as Frank and Sweet headed out the door. Before they got back to the car, three objects were flying in from the Gulf.

"Hey, what are those over there?" asked Frank. When they appeared closer, Sweet recognized what they were. Three Sentinels were heading for Sweet, and he knew it. This time, handling more than one was a challenge for Sweet.

"You're with the... CIA, right?" he asked Frank. He nodded affirmatively. Sweet continued. "Then you know about the Sentinels. They are after me. If you can help me, please do... because I've never handled three before."

The three exterminators landed on the beach and Sweet ran in to confront them. He started to throw fireballs at all three of them. Witnessing the hidden talents of Sweet, Frank thought of something. He rallied about four other people and told them to grab a bucket from the trunk of his car (he had five) and run to the gas station to fill the buckets with gasoline. He then led the people to an overpass near the robots. By the time he did that, Sweet had already taken out two of the Sentinels by cutting off their legs for an easy shot at the heads with his metal claws. Unfortunately, the last one caught on to his plans and managed to knock Sweet over a few times. But Sweet kept getting back up. Soon, he saw Frank and the other four citizens at the overpass with buckets in their hands. The Sentinel grabbed Sweet only to get burned by the fire aura that Sweet had displayed while fighting his first Sentinel. After he was out of its grip, Sweet used bigger fireballs to push the Sentinel back to where the people were. Once the Sentinel got close enough, Frank yelled "Now!", signaling himself and the people to throw the buckets of gasoline at the robot and then run away. Then Sweet chunked another fireball at it, and saw that the Sentinel was completely enflamed. Unable to withstand the pressure of the heat, the Sentinel self-destructed. As Sweet walked back, Frank realized just how "on top of the game" Sweet is. If he were to be by himself for two more years, he would be just fine.

"They are after you," said Frank. "I just wish you knew other people like you-with powers and all. Things would be much easier if you had people like that."

"I know," replied Sweet. "How many of these things am I going to have to fight?"

"Who knows? Well, we should be heading back." The numerous people around them applauded Sweet as they left for Titans Tower. His dream is beginning to have a new meaning.

* * *

Whew, long chapter... for me at least.

Please let me know how I am doing with my stories by message or review, if at all possible.

One more chapter to this story.


	3. Friend or Foe?

All right, I'll let you guys know now. This is the last chapter before the first timeskip in my series of stories. Seriously, I have created my own "documentary" out of this, and timeskips are necessary because I cannot tell every last detail from top to bottom.

Again, bear with me. I'm doing the best I can to make this as good as possible. If you have any pointers, comments or questions, let me know.

Chapter 3 – Friend or Foe?

The next morning, Sweet woke up ready for the first day at his new school. He put his clothes on, took the elevator to the top section, went to the kitchen, and ate his breakfast from the refrigerator as requested. Frank had already left for his CIA business, but he left Sweet a note. Sweet found it in the living room. It read: "I have already left for my CIA duties. Sweet, you have everything you could ever need there at the Tower. I salute to your first great day at the Academy, and even more to a great life. Godspeed, Frank."

After reading the note, Sweet put on his backpack and went to exit the Tower. After getting out of the front door, he saw that a bus was already waiting for him. He didn't know it, but before the officer left Galveston, he told the principal at the Academy to have the bus that goes to Pelican Island make an extra stop at Titans Tower.

When Sweet got on the bus, some the kids that were already on it recognized him because they watched the news about a humanimal taking down a few Sentinels. They all started cheering for him because they liked what he did. They even wanted to sit by him to talk with him, about him, his powers and his new home. Sweet was surprised at the moment he stepped in the aisle; he instantly became a celebrity. The bus began to head toward the Academy, as this was the last stop.

On his way to the back of the bus, he noticed a humanimal sitting by himself. He was an English bulldog with a couple of ripples of skin on his back. He wore all black, from the shirt all the way down to the shoes. He didn't look so lively. Sweet sat with him. He looked over and also recognized Sweet.

"Hey there. I'm Sweet. What's your name?"

"Wrinkle," he answered, starting to smile a little bit, to be respectful.

"I hear that everyone here has a talent. What's yours?"

"Me... I can just fight really good. Come on, I'm a bulldog."

Sweet chuckled a little bit, seeing the joke. "Yeah, I get it. Hey, let's be friends." The last friends that Sweet had who were not humans were his buddies back in the Amazon. He is in America now, so finding friends like that would most likely appear at the Academy.

"Cool," replied Wrinkle. He actually didn't have any friends because they were afraid to ask him before. He got used to it though because what they saw was a mean-looking, dark brown-eyed bulldog.

* * *

Soon, the bus driver dropped the kids off at the Academy. Sweet saw that it was a place for students of all ages—pre kindergarteners in elementary to seniors in high school. He remembered the three areas. The Sports Area—which had just about every sporting need there. Next was the Arts Area—where music, artwork, theater and dance lives. And the main area—with the prime academic and technology building standing fifteen stories tall and a quarter mile wide. Everyone was heading to the main building.

The principal, Angela Peace, spoke on the intercom, welcoming the new students to the Academy, and the current ones back for their second semester.

Inside, everyone was looking for their grade level. Since Sweet was eight, he was a second grader. He went to the cafeteria and found his group.

"I'm looking for a Sweet Summers," called a man. Sweet walked up and raised his hand. "So, you're Sweet. I'm your teacher, Mr. Springfield, but you can call me "Mr. S" if you like. Glad to meet you." He shook Sweet's hand and took his whole class to his room.

All of the elementary levels were on the first and second floors. The kids in this grade range have it easy because all they have to do is just take the stairs. The older students' ways of getting around are much more complex. On every floor, there are about twenty-five pairs of working elevators. But there are three things that make the elevator system fun. First of all, they move pretty fast from floor to floor, so that they don't cause confusion and pointless waiting. Second is the indoor holographic map of the entire school. It has a full "skeleton" view of the school and has a blinking red dot that shows where the current elevator is, wherever it is going. Why does it have a map? Because the last thing is the best feature. Every floor has a section above it for all of the waterworks and ventilation systems to pass through. Adding on to those spaces are many transport lines that flow throughout the whole school (including the Sports and Arts buildings). The elevators have a instant transport feature, allowing people to get where they need to go in a flash. The elevators then slow down and stop when near their destinations. And the red dot on the map follows the elevator perfectly and precisely. This school is unlike any other.

Entering Mr. S's classroom, Sweet became psyched about how awesome the school is just by looking at it. Wrinkle was also in the class.

"You're new to this, aren't you?" Wrinkle asked him.

"This place is awesome!" he shouted.

"I know," started Mr. S, "wait until we get to the lessons! Just kidding." The students laugh. "But don't worry, I'm the cool teacher who believes in making learning fun."

"That's awesome too," added Sweet.

"Oh yes. Class, welcome our new student, Sweet Summers." They stood and clapped for him since they all saw him yesterday on the news. After that, Mr. S began to teach.

Sweet's day at school kept getting better and better. He has made more friends than anyone would make on their first day. At the lunchtime hour, it was like eating at a mall's food court and an all-you-can-eat buffet at the same time. The next hour was a campus-wide recess—a free period. The roof is accessible. The playground is about as long as a football field. There is even a skatepark in it. All this is blowing Sweet away.

* * *

The final hour of the school day had come. In the last fifteen minutes, Mr. S had decided on giving something away.

"Okay class," he said. "How about we play a little game?" The class agreed to it immediately, hearing "game". "All right. I also want to see if you guys were paying attention earlier because I saw some sleepy faces in the morning. I'll ask you guys one question about something on the map. You can't use any map, whether it's around the room or in your Social Studies book. Use your head. You have to answer it correctly and show me where it is, blindfolded. It's Pin the Tail on the City!"

Wrinkle rolled his eyes at the unoriginal name of the game. "What's the prize?" he asked flatly.

"This... watch that I never got working." Mr. S held a black, futuristic watch. There were four one-inch long buttons protruding from it, as if it were a circle crossed out by an "X". "I mean, the battery is in and it's new, but the hands won't move. The buttons on the side don't do anything either, so I don't need it. If whoever wins figures out how to work this thing, cool beans." Everyone still wanted to play.

"Okay, here's the question..." Mr. S paused and thought of the question. "My last name is Springfield. What state is Springfield the capital of?"

Everyone began to think. After about fifteen seconds, a girl went to answer. She said Illinois [Ill-in-no-s].

"Not quite," said Mr. S, "but close."

Wrinkle then came up, knowing how to pronounce the state. "Illinois," he said as [Ill-in-noy].

"That's it. Put the blindfold on and make your mark." Unfortunately, this was the hard part. Not only did Wrinkle have to blindly pick a place, but the class was shouting directions to confuse him. He didn't know who was helping or distracting him. After a moment, Wrinkle pinned the needle where Illinois was.

"Let me check..." said Mr. S. He saw that it was on the northeastern area of the state. "Sorry, wrong city. That is Chicago. Good try, though." Wrinkle grumbled because Geography was his best subject, and he hated to be wrong. He went to sit down, before Sweet wanted to give it a try.

"Illinois, right?" uttered Sweet, pronouncing it as Wrinkle did.

"Yes. Good luck, maybe the third time is the charm." He handed Sweet the needle and the class began to shout random directions. Sweet got in position and just went for it. The teacher proceeded to check. It was near the middle of the state; slightly southwest from the center.

"Sweet..." he started, "you are correct, sir! Here's your watch. Good luck on getting it to work." The bell rang afterwards. "And see you all tomorrow!" Everyone raced out of the classroom to the buses.

On the bus, Wrinkle was trying not to growl out loud because he hated failing to do something. He spoke to Sweet. "That's not fair. Mr. S didn't say it had to be on the mark. I wanted the watch."

"Well," Sweet said, "my parents told me, 'Life isn't fair. You have to make the best of what you have.' I think I get it now. But you did good though."

The bus stopped at Titans Tower. "I'll see you tomorrow," said Sweet, who then waved at everyone else before getting off. The kids thought_ "Man, he's so cool" _or_ "He's one lucky guy"_. But Wrinkle thought a bit different.

"_Yeah, I know..." _he thought,_ "life isn't fair. But everyone should know something about me. If anyone really crosses the line with me, he or she will wish they hadn't. I know I look scary on the outside, but I hope no one really sees my scary side for what it really is. Personally, I'm not worried about friends... I just hope I don't have to break a few bones."_

Wrinkle is still a little bit of a mystery to Sweet. He doesn't know him all that much... and maybe that is a good thing. A powerful friend can also be a powerful enemy. So what is Wrinkle? Is he a friend... or is he a foe?

* * *

Later on that night, Sweet began to tamper with the watch, but did not get anywhere. It seemed so high-tech to him... then he thought about going to the super-computer to find something similar about the watch. So, he took the elevator down to the Facility and entered the room. He still was perplexed about the watch, until he leaned on one of the buttons of the grande-sized keyboard. A glass pod appeared from a shaft above where the button was. He opened it from the top and placed the watch inside, and then closed it again. He then wanted to find the safest looking button on the keyboard. He found a white button reading "Scan". After he pressed it, a horizontal green light began to move up and down the pod, with the watch levitating in it. The green light soon faded and the big screen monitor displayed information about the CIA. It had an automated voice as well.

"The CIA—Central Intelligence Agency..." the computer said, as it continued to drone on with more information. Eventually, the monitor shut itself down and the voice stopped. Sweet began to think about the watch, after taking it out of the pod.

"This watch is CIA tech," said Sweet, now seeing the internal part of the "X" disappear, revealing a green light that then showed a touchable hologram apparatus. He pushed the lower right button, which displayed the location of Titans Tower. Sweet looked for the directions on it, and soon found them. As he read, he found a "Distribution" option. It basically said that it is a feature that allows the user to make copies of the watch and send them to random places at one time. Sweet wanted to test that out. The instructions said to hold down the "Copy" button (upper left), say how many is needed, let go of the button, wait for the copies to appear, enter/record a message (optional), and say "Send" to send the watches away. If the user decides to utilize a message with the sending, they will pinpoint exactly to who the message is pertaining to.

Sweet held the upper left button. "One," he said, as he then let go of the button and waited for the copy of the watch to appear. It materialized in front of him. He was surprised.

"Enter or record a message," the watch read. Sweet then thought be to what Frank had said before.

"_It's completely up to you when it comes to who you want here..."_ and _"__I just wish you knew other people like you--with powers and all. Things would be much easier if you had people like that.__"_ Those were the two thoughts that went on through his mind. It was obvious to him now. Sweet needed people like him to be around him, but what are the chances that he'll find the right people? Nevertheless, he decided to do both. He input and spoke this message like a professional: "Greetings. If you are a humanimal who holds hidden skills or extraordinary qualities, this message is for you. My name is Sweet Summers, and I am looking to help you. You probably have had an accident in years past, you may be having trouble with control, or maybe you just need to get away from those who scold you. Whatever the case may be, I can help. And not only am I willing to assist you, I also seek to bring humanimals together in peace. I recommend that you come to Titans Tower and meet me. The location will be shown when you press the lower right button on the watch. Anything you could ever need, I have here at the Tower. When you have decided to come, take what you need and come at whenever possible. I will be waiting. End transmission." After saving, inputting and recording the message into the system, Sweet said "send", as the watch floated up and then zoomed away, passing through the walls like it was water. Sweet did the same thing for four more, and then six more.

"_Wow,"_ he thought, _"this is going to be some life. I just hope the people get the message. It's gonna be kind of awkward living in a huge tower by myself for a couple of years."_

Whether he liked it or not, this was Sweet's new life. Going to school, meeting new people, getting adjusted to the U.S., fighting Sentinels, and everything in between. He wouldn't like it any other way.

~~~**~~~

That's it for this story.

Please, send me your thoughts or questions whenever at all possible.


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